Waist grip for garments



Sept. 29, 1959 A. GRISANTI 2,905,943

WAIST GRIP FOR GARMENTS Filed June 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 30 m 'f h a F .5: A4 3: M 55 IN V EN TOR.

AMEDEO GRI'SANTI BY Sept. 29, 1959 A. GRISANTI 2,905,948

WAIST GRIP FOR GARMENTS Filed June 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. AMEDEO GRISANTI WAIST GRIP FOR GARMENTS Amedeo 'Grisanti, North Hollywood, Calif. Application June 26, 1956, Serial No. 593,906

1 Claim. (Cl. 2237) This invention relates to garment waistbands and waist belting or gripping devices for trousers, skirts and other Waist-fitting garments.

In ready-made clothing at the present time many garments must be altered at the waist to fit the particular purchaser or wearer. It has been estimated that eighty percent of the ready-to-wear trousers sold must be taken in at the waist from one to three inches. Generally the trousers are taken in at the back seam only with the result that they are no longer in balance and the designers efforts are substantially destroyed or lost. Moreover, the wearer of a waist-fitting garment often wishes to alter the waist fit to wear the garment differently or to provide for more comfort as his waist changes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a waist grip which can bemade as a part of the waistband of a waist fitting garment or can be added to a Waistband to eliminate waist alterations and provide means to the garment wearer to adjust easily, quickly and simply the waist of a garment to his fit, liking or comfort.

Another object of the invention proposes providing a waist grip which will divide the waist surplus into a number of parts at the sides of the garment giving the appearance of a slight drape over the hips so that the front and back of the garment always are smooth and retain their shape.

Still another object of the invention proposes providing a waist grip which continually, during the wearing of a garment, will adjust the waist of the garment to the waist of the wearer to hold the garment in correct position regardless of whether the wearer is sitting, standing, kneeling or assuming any other position.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of trousers having a waist-gripping device constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of a portion of the waistband shown in Fig. 1 and of the waist grip.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a modification of the invention, with both ends of the strap fastened.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view showing the structure shown in Fig. 8 with the front end unfastened.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 but showing the rear end of the waistband and structure.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 9 but illustrating another modification of the invention.

States Patent "ice Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken on line 12-12. of Fig. 11.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a pair of trousers 15 having a two-piece waistband 16 constructed and arranged with a waist grip designated generally by the reference numeral 17. I

A pair of waist grip straps 18 and 19 are provided, the straps being identical in construction. Each strap is tunnel-shaped with an open end 20 and a closed end 21. An elastic 22 is disposed substantially entirely in the tunnel and extends from the open rear end 20 being secured to the strap body portion 23 by stitches 24 spaced from the open end 20.

The body portions 23 of straps 18 and 19 are substantially unstretchable flexible pieces and may be made of silk, cotton, rayon, nylon or other fabrics or the like. Straps 18 and 19 have at their closed front ends 21 a stiffener member 25 (Fig. 7) secured inside the tunnel by stitches 26. The stiffener 25 may be a square of canvas or other stiff fabric or the like. A female snap fastener or fastener element 27 is secured at the closed front or fastener end 21 of each of the straps 18 and 19.

A plurality of male spaced fasteners or fastener elements 28, 29 and 30 are provided on the waistband 16 adjacent the front of the garment and the front end of each waistband piece.

The elastic or resilient rear end portion of each strap is secured to the waistband adjacent the rear of the trousers. The straps and fastener elements 28, 29 and 30 are diagonally mounted on the waistband, being disposed on lines sloping from the front of the waistband and straps toward the rear of the waistband-and straps.

Waistband 16 has a plurality of spaced slot openings 31, 32, 3'3, 34, 35, 36 and 37 in each of its two pieces slidably to receive the straps 18 and 19, the straps being woven in and out of the'openings.

In Fig. 2, there is shown a waistband piece and waist grip strap basedon a size thirty-two inch waist. The material for the waistband and strap iscrossgrain ribbon and the construction is as follows.

A fourteen-and-one-half-inch long ribbon is folded over one-fourth of an inch at one end and then folded .or doubled so that the. other end meets the folded edge. The stiffener member'25,-a one-inchsquare of canvas, is placed inside the fold and the strap is stitched together along the front and side edges leaving the back end open to form a tunnel. The strap now measures seven inches in length and is one and one-eighth inches wide.

The elastic 22 is two and one-half inches long and seven-eighths of an inch wide. It is inserted in the rear end opening of the strap and into the tunnel one and fiveeighths inches, then tacked by double stitches one-quarter of an inch apart. At a point of one-half inch from the edge 21 or front end, the female fastener 27 is attached, the canvas stiffener 25 insuring adequate material strength for the fastener.

The waistband member 16, which may be either one of the regular waistband strips or a separate strip, is also crossgrain ribbon, two and one-eighth inches wide and sixteen inches long (one half the waist plus one and three-quarters inches for front seam and back outlet). The seven slot openings 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 are spaced according to the waist size. Slot 31 is five and one-half inches from the front edge of the waistband and one-half inch from the top edge of the waistband. Slot 37 is seven-eighths of an inch from the top of the waistband. The other slots are disposed on a diagonal straight line between slots 31 and 37 and are all one and one-quarter inches long with edges serged by machine with a roll stitch so that the material will not ravel. .Slot 32 is seven-eighths of an inch from slot 31, slot 33 is one and one-eighth inches from slot 32. The other slots are similarly spaced except slot 37 is one and one-half inches from slot 36 and is one full inch in length.

The elastic 22 is inserted through the last slot opening 37 and tacked to the. waistband and the strap is then woven in and out of the other six slot openings, the front edge of the strap coming out one inchfrom the first slot 31. i

The male fastener elements 28, 29 and 30 are spaced one-half an inch apart and in line with the female fastener.

When the waist grip straps are snapped on to the first fastener, the waist of the garment becomes one inch smaller; when snapped on the second fastener, two inches smaller; and when snapped on the third fastener, three inches smaller. The surplus material of the garment over the waist divides itself into four sections between the slots and gives a slight draped appearance over the hips. The front and back of the trousers are always smooth.

The modification of the invention illustrated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 is characterized by the provision of a waist grip strap holding band 50 narrower in width than a waistband piece 51 but constructed the same as the waistband 16 described above so that it can be attached to the Waistband of any pair of trousers or waistband garment. In this form, the waistband 50 is fastened on the waist encircling piece 51 at an angle slanting with respect to the longitudinal edges of said waist encircling piece. The straps 18 and the male fasteners 28', 29 and 30' are disposed on a line parallel to the edges of the waistband 50, and the male fasteners are in alignment with the female fasteners 27' on straps 18'. By reason of this construction, the free end of each strap 18' is closer to the upper edge of the waist encircling piece than the opposite end of said strap.

In all other respects, the form shown in Figs. 8 to 10, inclusive, is similar to the form shown in Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, and similar reference numerals are used to indi- Cate similar parts.

The modification illustratedin Figs. 11 and 12 is characterized by the provision of a band 55 having spaced loops 56 (only one shown) instead of the slot openings shown in the other figures but otherwise the same as the bands shown therein and described above. A strap 57 is also provided which is constructed and arranged identical to straps 18 and 19.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scopeof the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

In a waistband construction for trousers, skirts, waist jackets and other waist fitting garments, a waist encircling piece, a two-part waist encircling band on the inner surface of said piece, the parts of said band disposed in closely spaced end to end relationship and having their adjacent ends secured to the waistpiece at the rear center thereof, said parts sloping upwardly and forwardly of the waist encircling piece from the point of securement thereof, said parts each having spaced openings therealong, a waistgrip strap threaded through the openings in each part of the band, one end of the strap secured to the band at the rear center of the waist encircling piece, said straps sloping upwardly and forwardly from the point of securement thereof, the secured end of the strap being stretchable, a fastener element on the free end of each strap, a plurality of spaced fastening elements secured to the waist encircling band adjacent the free end of each waistgrip strap for engagement with the fastener element on said free end of the respective strap upon stretching of the secured end of the strap, each strap being tunnel-shaped with an open end and a closed end, said stretchable end of the strap constituting the secured end of the tunnel and a stiffener member secured inside the closed end of each tunnel, the fastening elements on the Waist encircling band disposed on a line slanting with respect to the longitudinal edges of the waist encircling piece substantially in line with the longitudinal axis of the adjacent waistgrip strap so that the free end of the strap is closer to the upper edge of the waist encircling piece than the opposite end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 938,347 Sprague Oct. 6, 1909 1,642,483 Bloomenthal Sept. 13, 1927 2,084,720 Alexandre June 22, 1937 2,219,556 Finder Oct. 29, 1940 2,413,180 Grisanti Dec. 24, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 805,426 France Aug. 22, 1936 

